The Golden Oakleaf
by TheHopefulPuffin
Summary: Alternate chain of events for 'The Royal Ranger'. Will is consumed by grief and anger after the death of his wife, Alyss. His friends prove unable to help him, but Will finds healing in his own way. One Shot.


**AN: Ok, so this is my first story, and to be honest, probably my last - I'm not a writer and don't have much time for it anyway. I just had to get the awful events of 'The Royal Ranger' out of my head. I mean, WHAT the hell? Alyss dies and Will isn't even allowed to properly grieve? It just bugged me. Anyway, this is how I would have preferred for things to go for Will *evil laugh***

 **ONE SHOT (And you know I don't own Ranger's Apprentice - or Alyss never would have died)**

 **ReEdit: January 24, 2019**

...o...0...o...0...o...

"Will, you just need to snap out of it! Take a mission, get out of this house. Please?"

"Halt is right, Will, you can't let this destroy you anymore than it already has, it's been eighteen months…"

The tired looking man before them stared back with empty eyes, his silence relayed his anger at their insensitive words.

How could they come into his house and say these things to him? His wife, the love of his life, was _dead_ …And what - they expected him to forget about it like it was nothing more than a bad dream?

The three men sat in silence for a few more tense seconds before Will abruptly rose from his chair and stalked out of the small sitting room. The old wooden door creaking shut behind him.

Halt and Gilan looked sadly after their friend, neither one knowing what to do. It was clear Will wasn't well, and they were both terrified of what he might do.

…o...0...o...0...o...

As the second anniversary of Alyss's death approached, Will appeared to be doing much better. He had even made the effort to invite his old friends over for dinner, which was something he hadn't done since Alyss had passed away.

Halt, Horace, Cassandra, Gilan - they had all arrived that afternoon and were surprised to see Will standing on the porch smiling, waiting to greet them.

And it seemed everyone was happy to see the old Will...except Halt. The older ranger had spent enough time around Will to know when something wasn't right - and for some reason, he was set on edge by his former apprentice's _cheery_ attitude. What had caused the sudden shift? He would endeavor to find out…

It was at the dinner table, as Halt watched Will, that he realized something was, in fact, very wrong. Will was smiling, but it was not a smile Halt had ever seen before. There was something… _melancholy…_ about it. As though Will knew he was doing something for the last time. And then it occurred to Halt that perhaps Will's sudden "improvement" had not been that at all, perhaps it was the opposite?

He was numb and had finally given up.

As they sat around the table, Halt knew that Will was aware that he was watching him. After all, he wasn't even trying to be discreet about it. The retired ranger just hoped that Will would - on some level - consider the fact that he had been caught, and would reconsider whatever he might be planning to do.

But no such luck. Will did not seem to care what Halt thought anymore. The younger man would occasionally glance over at his mentor and smile at him, but the smile never reached his eyes.

Halt's panic only grew as the night wore on, and he found himself at a loss as to what he should do. However, he knew deep down that he could never stop Will from doing anything, especially now that he was a grown, full-fledged ranger…he simply wasn't around that much anymore, and sooner or later, Will would be able to do whatever it was he was planning on doing. It was a terrifying thought.

…o...0...o...0...o...

Will stood on the porch with his cloak drawn over himself, simply breathing in the familiar smells of the cabin and thinking.

A few minutes prior, he had politely excused himself from the table so he could get some fresh air. The evening was drawing to a close, and suddenly he found the atmosphere inside of his home stifling, almost suffocating. And being in the presence of his dearest friends, for what he knew would be the last time, was beginning to weigh heavily on him.

But he couldn't waver, not now. There was a reason for all of this.

For earlier in the week, he had discovered that Jory Ruhl, the man responsible for his wife's death, was camped nearby with his gang of criminals. And that knowledge had consumed his thoughts almost entirely from that point on. Justice for Alyss was so close he could almost taste it! A mirthless smile tweaked the corners of Will's lips as he thought about that monster. Ruhl was going to pay tonight…

However, Ruhl's destiny could wait a while longer.

Will still had a duty to his friends - he knew that he owed them this final night of fellowship and laughter - and it would be unforgivable to take those moments away from them, to rob them of those memories...Ruhl had already stolen much from Will's life, but he would not take this.

So, with a deep breath, he pushed the hatred and pain to the back of his mind and put his brave face back on and headed back inside. He had loved ones to see and he didn't want them to be alarmed by his behavior. The less they knew, the better…

Unfortunately, though, it seemed Halt and Gilan sensed something was up the moment Will stepped back into the small living room, because they were eyeing him suspiciously.

After all, it was a ranger's job to notice things - to see what wasn't meant to be seen...

He groaned inwardly - no doubt he could expect a confrontation at some point before the end of the gathering.

So he slid silently back into his seat at the table with his friends and did his best to act natural. He laughed at their jokes and raised his mug to their stories, but his thoughts strayed further and further away, until he could think of only one thing...Alyss. He was going to see her tonight.

…o...0...o...0...o...

After the food and drinks were gone, Will's loved ones all rose to leave. Horace and Cassandra, who were both a little tipsy, waved goodbye to Will as they clambered into the back of the carriage that was waiting for them. Horace called something about seeing Will soon and the smaller man just nodded and grinned. That's how he wanted to remember Horace - smiling, unburdened, and hopeful. He waved at the two friends until the carriage crested the hill and was gone from sight.

It was no surprise to Will that Halt and Gilan had remained inside. He knew a talk was coming when he went back into the house. And though it was tempting to run off right then, he forced himself to stop. He owed them this. He didn't need them to stop him, but he knew that for their own sakes, they needed to have the moment where they tried to stop him...He didn't want them carrying any guilt about his decision.

So with a heavy sigh, he pushed the door open and walked back into his cottage, finding himself staring into the faces of two very concerned looking rangers.

"Will. Have a seat," Halt said.

The younger man, in a flashback of his youth, rolled his eyes before sitting down.

Gilan was the one to speak first, his usually cheerful eyes were sad as they locked onto Will's lifeless ones.

"We know something is going on with you, Will. Why don't you just tell us what you're planning…Whatever is, we'll help you! We swear it,"

But Will just snorted and shook his head. The person before them was nothing like the Will they had known for so long.

"You can't help me. Not anymore.", he said bitterly, turning his face away from his friends.

His words chilled the two men's hearts.

After a beat, Halt rose from his chair, emanating a rage that spoke of a great fear lying buried underneath it.

"Will! Stop this! Stop whatever it is you're planning, stop what you're doing to yourself and everyone around you! Can't you see that we…that we care about you?"

Will had to admit, he was a little surprised by Halt's outburst. The older man never admitted to caring about anyone. _He must really be desperate_ , Will thought to himself sadly.

But he wasn't going to be swayed. His eyes were empty when he lifted his face and spoke to his two friends.

"Halt, Gilan…You are my family…You know that - just like you know that I love you both...I can't tell you what is going on with me, but you can't stop me. I just ask that you trust me…I have to do what's best for me…"

There were tears of anger, sadness, and frustration in Halt's eyes as he looked at the man he thought of as a son. It hurt him more than he could say, to think that Will would give up like this, would turn away his help. For a moment, he let that anger and hurt take over. He rose from his seat, looking down on his former apprentice, shook his head and strode from the room. A few seconds later, Will and Gilan heard the sharp clack of Abelard's hooves as he galloped away.

Halt was gone.

The two men sat in silence for a few more moments, before Gilan sighed and rose to his feet as well.

He placed a hand on Will's shoulder and looked into those once-warm brown eyes.

"I know I can't change your mind. I just wish I could." he paused for a moment then added quietly "He loves you, Will…We all do." and with that, Gilan left as well.

Will had remained frozen in the same spot for some time after that. But eventually it was time to get on with it. He did have an engagement at sunrise that he did not plan to miss.

Standing like a statue, he found himself glancing around the cabin that he had loved so much, his first home...He needed to clean it up before he left. Even now, he couldn't shake that damned sense of ranger responsibility.

So he set about tidying the small home, imagining he was a boy again. He could even hear Halt barking orders at him as he went about all those familiar chores, and in his daydream, Alyss was alive. She was back at Castle Redmont, studying with Lady Pauline. Maybe she was even thinking of him…

Eventually the cabin was spotless, and Will's heart was pumping painfully hard in his chest, though he did his best to ignore it.

As a final touch before he departed, he went to Halt's room and situated everything the way it had been when he was a boy. He cleaned out his old room entirely, the cabin now ready for its next master and apprentice. After that, he found himself standing in the small sitting area, drinking in the cottage for the last time. With a single tear rolling down his cheek, he blew out the candles and closed the door.

He walked around the cabin to the small stable and gave Tug some extra grain and a particularly juicy apple he had been saving for him. He groomed the pony for some time, all the while talking quietly to him, even braiding a lock of his shiny grey tail. When he finished, he patted Tug's round rump and told him what a good horse he was. Then the man reached up and took his old apprentice bow from the rafter's where he had stored it that morning. This was it.

…o...0...o...0...o...

Halt rode out to Will's the next morning well before the first light. He hoped that he could catch him before the younger man got out of bed, and perhaps he could talk some sense into his friend…He didn't like the way they had left things the previous night, and he made a mental note to make amends for his actions.

It was about twenty minutes later that Halt arrived at the cabin, and immediately, he knew. Everything about the place felt…lifeless.

His eyes stung as he looked at the chimney - no smoke billowed from those old stones. That could only mean one thing…

Dismounting Abelard, he ghosted forward and pushed open the door, no lights greeted him, no friendly call from the boy he called his son. Silence.

Halt walked to his old bedroom, which now belonged to Will. It looked as though Halt were still living there, nothing was changed. A monument to a time long gone. It was then that Halt glanced toward the curtain over Will's old doorway that the air seemed to be sucked from his lungs. What would he find if he pulled that curtain back?

He didn't remember making the decision to move forward, but he found himself standing in front of that familiar cloth, imaging it was years ago when Will was still his cheerful apprentice.

Slowly his hand reached forward and pulled the curtain aside…

Before him was a room, so full of memories and love…it still smelled of Will and Tug…

But Will was not there.

It was then that Halt figured it out. Will had gone after Alyss's killers. Of course he wouldn't simply take his own life, he'd die protecting others. The retired ranger ran for the place where he knew the reports were kept, and by some miracle the one he needed was lying on top of the stack with a small map and several notes. There was a bandit camp nearby…

Halt dashed from the cabin and vaulted onto Abelard, urging his horse into a wide open gallop back toward the castle, he had to fetch Gilan and they would go after Will together, he just prayed they wouldn't be too late.

…o...0...o...0...o...

Will arrived at the camp about three hours before sunrise. He had planned his strike to take place when the sky was pitch black. He was using the darkness, his stealth abilities, and the bandit's own bleary-eyed sleepiness to work in his favor. He needed to give himself time to reach the leader, and since it was roughly fifteen to one, he needed all the advantages he could get…It was a fight he knew he would not survive, but that did not mean he was going to lose.

He had moved swiftly in the beginning, executing every one of the bandits and marauders he passed with stealth and ease. He was saving himself for the man who had killed his wife. His intent was to take the man down with him, so he and his wife could finally rest easy together. He had no intention of leaving this place alive.

The alarm had gone up already, sooner than he had anticipated, but it didn't matter.

Bandits fell dead, left and right, as Will made his way through the camp - then he saw his man.

With a battlecry that would have made Horace proud, Will charged the bandit leader.

He barely felt the arrows that hit his body, some part of his memory flew far away to Skandia, where he had seen Berserker warriors charge into battle like this, so frenzied they felt and feared no pain. Erak, too, would have been proud.

He was on top of Jory Ruhl in a matter of seconds, his fists making contact over and over with Ruhl's jaw until the mans eye's were dazed and unfocused with pain and shock. Will had moved so fast, and with such purpose, the Bandit chief didn't even have time to react before the ranger was on him.

Before he lost consciousness, Will stared into his eyes and whispering "This is for Alyss…My wife." Then he placed his Saxe knife under the man's jaw and swiftly slit the man's throat.

As Jory Ruhl's eyes grew waxy and dimmed, he coughed, spraying Will's face with blood, though the ranger barely even noticed. Will's own body was failing, too, now that his goal was achieved.

There were a few men left who scattered as their leader died, they knew the Ranger was as good as dead anyway. They'd come back later to pick pockets.

Will stood shakily and looked around himself at the now silent camp. He felt numb relief in the knowledge that his wife was avenged and other's were safe from the ruthless Jory Ruhl. For the first time in a long time, he felt cleansed of anger.

But as the adrenaline wore off, he started to feel something else. Looking down, he saw that he'd been shot quite a few times, he absently decided not to count…though suddenly he felt very weak.

Through his daze of pain, his eyes fell on a large oak tree standing alone on the edge of the clearing. The tree that symbolized the Ranger's…He knew he wanted to die beneath its branches.

So with the last of his fading strength, he stumbled toward the tree, crawling the last few meters when his body grew too weak to walk. The blood loss and shock were moving fast now.

After he had situated himself into a relatively comfortable position, he placed his bow on his lap and clasped the things that meant the most to him in his hands.

Finally, this was it. He smiled up at the dancing oak leaves overhead, imagining each one was a Ranger; past, present, and future. He picked out one, the biggest and brightest of them all, and locked his eyes onto it -

"Goodbye, Halt…" he whispered to the oak leaf.

He hoped that Halt would not be too disappointed in his last act of vengeance. He hoped the man would understand - and eventually, that he would forgive him. He also hoped Halt was proud of him…

As his vision began to darken and the pain began to fade away, Will smiled.

All thoughts but one were gone from his mind now. He could see her standing there in front of him, smiling, her hand extended to him. At last! He was overcome with joy and jumped up from the ground with the spryness of his youth to meet her, crying her name as he ran to embrace her,

"Alyss!"

For a moment, a breeze blew soft through the clearing, and Will Treaty breathed his last.

…o...0...o...0...o...

The two men galloped their horses through the trees at break-neck speeds, they had to reach Will in time. Halt couldn't even imagine a scenario where he failed his son. He never should have left him alone! How could he have been so stupid?

Ahead in the fading darkness they saw the white smoke of campfires and turned their ponies toward it. Halt prayed the silence of the camp spoke only of sleep, and not of death…

But it was death.

As the two men rode into the clearing and hopped down from their horses, they saw nothing but destruction around them. The bandits had all been killed. There was copious amounts of blood on the ground from arterial spray, but in the carnage, it was impossible to tell which person's blood it was. Neither man said it, but both found it hard to pity this band of kidnapping, sex trafficking, murderers.

They continued to silently observe the scene before them, Gilan had moved forward and found the man he knew to be Jory Ruhl, lying on his back with his throat cut and his eyes staring blankly into the sky. A Saxe knife was lying beside him.

Gilan bent and picked it up, turning quietly to Halt, and that's when he saw the other man was staring at something at the edge of the clearing, Gilan followed his gaze - and his heart broke.

…o...0...o...0...o...

Will was leaned against a tall oak a short distance from the demolished bandit's camp. He had been shot several times, each would have been a fatal wound in its own right, but he also had several other wounds from close-combat weapons.

His eyes were closed, his trusty apprentice bow that Halt had made him so many years ago was sitting across his lap. In his limp hands, he held a braided piece of Alyss's hair and in the other, he held his silver oakleaf.

Halt was the first of the two men to move forward to Will's side. He laid his land upon his son's head and stroked that familiar mop of brown hair, sinking exhaustedly to his knees. And then he pulled Will's body into his arms. The younger man was at a loss for words as he watched Halt, the strongest man he had ever known, rocking back and forth on the ground, holding the blood-soaked body of his closest friend. And then he began sobbing, whispering "I'm so sorry" repeatedly into Will's hair.

They sat like that for some time, both lost in their own world of memories, neither wanting to move because they knew what had to be done next…

No one is ever truly prepared to bury a loved one. But it was time.

After a short discussion, both ranger's decided that this was the place where Will should be buried. It wasn't customary to have a field burial, they knew that - but then, when had Will ever endorsed what was customary? Halt almost smiled as he thought of Will's approval for this plan.

The two men barely spoke for all their tears, and ultimately it was Gilan who tasked himself with retrieving shovels from the cabin. He knew his former mentor probably needed the time alone.

...

When the tall ranger returned, he had brought with him a pair of clean clothes for Will, as well as Tug's bridle, one of the pony's blankets, a small sack of Will's favorite coffee, and Tug himself.

Halt's sobs were renewed afresh when he saw Gilan's gestures, but he still insisted on helping his former apprentice change Will into his burial clothes, tears or not.

Between the two of them, it didn't take long to get Will cleaned up, and soon both men were standing beside the grave they had dug together, looking upon their friend who was now free of the blood and dirt from his final battle.

Tug had laid down beside Will as the men worked, the intelligent pony seemed to understand that this was goodbye.

The sun was rising now over the tree tops, casting a reddish-pink light across the sky. It was beautiful, and Halt realized there would be no better time to say their goodbyes than in the light of that glorious sunrise. It was a perfect close for Will's short, yet full, life. With a deep breath, Halt nodded to Gilan and they proceeded with their heartbreaking task.

The pony watched on as Will was wrapped in his favorite wool blanket, the one his boy had placed on his back countless times through the years - it had served him well on many cold winter nights…He was glad Will was taking it with him, he hoped it would keep him warm.

It was as Gilan busied himself with Will's belongings that Tug rocked to his feet and nickered, swishing his tail until Gilan understood what the little horse meant. The tall ranger smiled in understanding and stepped toward Tug, flicking his knife out of his belt in the process. The pony watched calmly as Gilan used it to cut the braided strand of hair from his tail.

"You did him proud, Tug."

After that, Halt slid down into the hole and reached upward, waiting for Gilan to deposit Will into his arms. Once he had him, Halt knelt and waited for Gilan to join him, so they could situate their friend in his final resting place together.

Halt, who had never been a sentimental man, held each of Will's possessions in his hands with total reverence, each object bringing fresh tears to his eyes.

He made sure that Will was holding his Ranger's leaf and Alyss's hair, as he had been when he died. Next he laid Tug's bridle beside his leg, tucking it beside him, then he twined the strand of Tug's tail around Will's wrist. The small sack of coffee he stuck by Will's elbow. And finally, he placed Will's bow upon his chest - and reaching into his own quiver, he pulled out a single black arrow and laid it beside the bow. After that, he folded Tug's blanket over Will's face and he and Gilan climbed back to the surface.

The two men and the ranger horses stood in silence, each staring down at the shape of their dear friend.

And as Halt began to fret over what to say, he was stilled by the gentle rustle of a breeze…and overhead, a single, particularly large and golden oak leaf detached itself and fluttered down, landing softly over the still heart of Will Treaty.

Halt decided in that moment not to speak, because no words could do his feelings justice. Instead, he gave Will the thing he always craved, a single nod of his approval and pride - because between Will and himself, that really said it all.


End file.
